Brief by Central Staff
Recreation – April 2004 – Colorado Central Magazine
Perhaps Colorado is really two states: the real one we live in, and an imaginary one visible only to conservatives who operate on the national level.
The fictional Colorado has been described by White House political operator Karl Rove as a state whose finances are in “good shape.” Columnist George Will says Colorado is “economically vibrant,” and National Review says Bill Owens is “America’s best governor.”
In the real Colorado, money is so tight that the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee recommended a 50% reduction in the budget for state parks. The Parks department said that would require that some parks be closed, while others would face reduced hours.
Among those in this area facing possible closure were San Luis Lakes near Mosca and Spinney Mountain Reservoir in Park County.
Others might have been closed for two or three days a week, among them Arkansas River Headwaters, Eleven Mile near Lake George, and Mueller near Divide.
To meet budget constraints in recent years, the state parks department has closed two of its four regional offices and laid off 10% of its employees. Fees were also increased, with an annual parks pass rising from $50 to $55.
The main consideration, according to the parks department, was whether a park collected more in entry fees than it cost to operate.
However, after that scenario became public in early March, Gov. Bill Owens said he would veto any budget cuts that would close state parks. “I am not going to be a part of closing state parks this summer,” he said. “We do not need to take a meat ax to worthwhile programs.”
At press time, the Joint Budget Committee was going to take another look at parks, and see if it could find another $2.9 million to keep all the parks open.
